Category Archives: Cold War

South Vietnamese units supported by U.S. military drive into Laos to strike enemy supply line 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Feb 8 1971)

1970s, Cold War, Vietnam War


Video: 'Vietnam The Ten Thousand Day War The Village War 10 13' (Operation Lam Son 719 at 32:22)

(Monday, February 8, 1971, 7:00 a.m. Saigon Standard Time; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — Operation Lam Son 719, an attack by the First Infantry Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) from South Vietnam into the Kingdom of Laos, was launched today in the Vietnam War against North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces operating across the border.
Continue reading South Vietnamese units supported by U.S. military drive into Laos to strike enemy supply line 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Feb 8 1971) →

U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Fidel Castro’s Cuba 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 3 1961)

1960s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'U.S. breaks Relations with Cuba, 1961'

(Tuesday, January 3, 1961, 8:30 p.m. EST; during the Cold War) — The United States formally terminated diplomatic and consular relations with the government of Cuba tonight.
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Chinese, North Korean capture Seoul for second time during the Korean War 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 4 1951)

1950s, Cold War


Video: 'Korean War - PART 18, Retreat from the North, 6.25' (Chinese, North Korea forces recapture Seoul at 4:26)

(Thursday, January 4, 1951, the entire US IX Corps had left Seoul by 7:40 a.m. Korea Standard Time; during the Third Battle of Seoul, part of the Korean War, the Cold War and the Korean conflict) — Chinese and North Korean communist forces occupied the smoldering ghost city of Seoul, South Korea, this morning and smashed to the banks of the Han River, following hard on the heels of United Nations troops retreating southward.
Continue reading Chinese, North Korean capture Seoul for second time during the Korean War 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 4 1951) →

‘Viet Cong’ formed to oppose South Vietnamese government of President Ngo Dinh Diem 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 20 1960)

1960s, Cold War, Vietnam War


Video: 'Vietnam: A Television History - America's Mandarin [2/11]' (NLF formed at 20:18)

(Tuesday, December 20, 1960; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — The National Liberation Front (NLF) was created today as an armed communist political revolutionary organization in South Vietnam and Cambodia to oppose the government of President Ngo Dinh Diem, who gave the group the nickname “Viet Cong.”
Continue reading ‘Viet Cong’ formed to oppose South Vietnamese government of President Ngo Dinh Diem 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 20 1960) →

50 people killed when fire breaks out aboard USS Constellation at Brooklyn Navy Yard 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 19 1960)

1960s, Cold War


Video: 'Carrier Ablaze (1960)'

(Monday, December 19, 1960, 10:30 a.m. EST; during the Cold War) — Fifty shipyard workers were killed and more than 300 were injured today when fire broke out on the hangar deck of the nearly completed aircraft carrier USS Constellation at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City.
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President Truman threatens to use atomic bomb to win Korean War 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 30 1950)

1950s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'Korean War - PART 16, The Low Point, 6.25' (Nov. 30, 1950, at 5:24)

(Thursday, November 30, 1950, 10:30 a.m. EST; during the Second Phase Offensive, part of the Korean War and the Cold War) — As Chinese forces of the People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) pushed back United Nations forces from the Yalu River, U.S. President Harry S. Truman frightened the world today when he declared during a press conference that UN forces would “take whatever steps are necessary to meet the military situation in Korea,” including use of the atomic bomb.
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Chinese launch massive offensive against advancing UN forces in Korea 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 25 1950)

1950s, Cold War


Video: 'Korean War- PART 15, The Rout of the UN, 6.25' (Second Phase Offensive at 4:36)

(Saturday, November 25, 1950, 5:00 p.m. Korea Standard Time; during the Second Phase Offensive, part of the Korean War and the Cold War) — One day after United Nations Command (U.S./UN) forces launched the Home-by-Christmas Offensive to expel Chinese forces from Korea and to end the Korean War, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) launched it’s Second Phase Offensive today with the strength of between 300,000-390,000 soldiers. Continue reading Chinese launch massive offensive against advancing UN forces in Korea 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 25 1950) →

First American troops reach Yalu River that separates North Korea and China 70 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 21 1950)

1950s, Cold War


Video: 'Korean War- PART 15, The Rout of the UN, 6.25 ' (UN forces reach Yalu River at 1:54)

(Tuesday, November 21, 1950, as dusk fell at 5:30 p.m. Korea Standard Time; during the UN offensive into North Korea, part of  the Korean War and the Cold War) — Troops of the 7th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army’s X Corps today became the first American division to reach the Yalu River that separated North Korea and China, moving into the border city of Hyesan. Continue reading First American troops reach Yalu River that separates North Korea and China 70 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 21 1950) →

Chinese troops enter Korea after U.S. forces capture North Korean capital of Pyongyang 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 19 1950)

1950s, Cold War


Video: 'Korean War - PART 13, To the 38th Parallel and beyond- 6.25' (Battle of Pyongyang at 5:30/Chinese enters Korean War at 8:21)

(Thursday, October 19, 1950, as dusk fell at 5:30 p.m. Korea Standard Time; during the UN offensive into North Korea, part of  the Korean War and the Cold War) — Just hours after American troops from the United States Army’s 1st Cavalry became the first U.S. forces to march into Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, a mass invasion of North Korea from China got underway tonight, with 260,000 Chinese forces of the People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) crossing the Yalu River into Korea over three different bridges. Continue reading Chinese troops enter Korea after U.S. forces capture North Korean capital of Pyongyang 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 19 1950) →

MacArthur tells Truman China won’t intervene in Korean War 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 15 1950)

1950s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'Korean War: Truman vs MacArthur over Korea' (Oct. 15, 1950 at 10:15)

(Sunday, October 15, 1950, Truman’s plane arrived at 6:30 a.m. Wake Time; during the Wake Island Conference, part of the Korean War and the Cold War) — President Harry S. Truman and Army General Douglas MacArthur met for a conference today at Wake Island to define the Far Eastern policy of the United States in the light of recent United Nations victories in Korea. Continue reading MacArthur tells Truman China won’t intervene in Korean War 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 15 1950) →